Murchie makes for Murrayfield

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 07:59

After defeating Edinburgh at home last Friday, Glasgow Warriors will go into the second leg of the 1872 Cup at Murrayfield with a little added spring in their step.

After defeating Edinburgh at home last Friday, Glasgow Warriors will go into the second leg of the 1872 Cup at Murrayfield with a little added spring in their step, with another talented back signing on for the long-term.

Peter Murchie is the fifth player in recent weeks to sign on the dotted line and has committed himself to Scotstoun for at least another three years.

Murchie has been rewarded with the deal having put in a string of consistently excellent appearances for the Warriors this season.

He joins Al Kellock, Mike Cusack, Tom Ryder and Tommy Seymour in signing contract extensions with the Scotstoun-based side in the last month.

Murchie, who has made more than 50 appearances for the Warriors, has a talent for dealing with the high-ball and performing under pressure, his unflappable attitude combining well with his athletic ability.

The 26-year-old, who joined the Warriors in 2009 from London Welsh, said: "My game has come along way since I came north to Glasgow and I'm delighted to have signed on for another three years.

"I want to keep developing my game and this is the perfect place for me to do that. There is a huge amount of competition in the back-line at Scotstoun but that can only improve us as a group."

Murchie experienced his first involvement with the Scotland squad this year when he was called up for November's EMC Tests and he qualifies for Scotland through his Ayrshire-born father.

The rangy fullback, who is just as comfortable playing in the midfield, was key in setting up the first score against rivals Edinburgh at Scotstoun last Friday, delivering the pass for the first touchdown of the match by DTH van der Merwe.

He said: "The conditions last week weren't ideal but we scored three really good three tries and that's testament to the way we want to play the game.

"The positive thing is we can play either up front or move it wide. We'd certainly like to get running at Edinburgh and score tries in the second leg, so we hope the conditions are perhaps a little better and let us get the ball through the hands a bit more.

"Edinburgh are a good side, and can be a real threat on the front foot. They'll want to hit back after what happened at Scotstoun last week.

"We know that we need a similar, if not better, performance than we showed last Friday but we're looking forward to getting out onto the pitch at Murrayfield and showing what we can do."

Murchie came up through the Bath Academy system before moving to London Welsh and made his Scotland A debut in 2011 against the Irish Wolfhounds at Netherdale.